Stream of Passion
In spite of the vocalist sounding scarily similar to Amy Lee and, now that I mention it, some of the songs possessing that Evanescence quality any self-respecting metalhead should know and hate, and probably most importantly, in spite of myself, there are moments when I actually don’t mind this album.
Okay, so Stream of Passion aren’t exactly treading the path never trod; melodic Goth metal played by five dudes and fronted by a not-too-shabby-looking female vocalist isn’t exactly a revolutionary concept (Lacuna Coil anyone?) But that being said, this is Goth with a bit of Prog and Symphonic metal thrown in for shits and giggles, and it kinda works.
‘The Flame Within’ is the band’s second release, although line-up changes after their 2005 debut ‘Embrace the Storm’ - which saw co-founder/lead/rhythm guitarist/backing vocalist Arjen Lucassen, along with the original drummer, keyboardist and second guitarist depart, has resulted in this technically being an almost entirely new band. Joining the original members - Mexican-born vocalist/violinist Marcela Bovio and bassist Johan van Stratum - are Dutch musicians Stephan Schultz and Eric Hazebroek on guitar, drummer Martijn Peters, and Jeffrey Revet on keyboards.
The juxtaposition of heavy guitars with melodic keyboards, strings and a female’s voice may be formulaic, but Stream of Passion mix it up with enough catchy riffs, time changes and bombast to engage even the most cynical listener (yes, I’m referring to myself here), and songs like album opener ‘The Art of Loss’ and ‘Now or Never’ are downright catchy! By about the fourth or fifth song I find my mind starting to wander, usually toward my record collection in search of something else to listen to, but just when I think Stream of Passion have lost me for good they tempt me back by dangling another one of those alluring little passages counterpointing chugging guitars with a delightful melodic refrain in front of me. Damn you Stream of Passion! You know I can’t resist those fat and dirty Sabbath-y sounding guitars! And any band that has the balls to cover a Radiohead song will always earn an extra point from me, even though it goes without saying their version of ‘Street Spirit’ isn’t even close to attaining the sublime genius that is Radiohead doing Radiohead. God bless their little black cotton socks for trying though.
Now, before you all freak out thinking I’ve abandoned my thrashed-out metal roots and literally crossed over to the albeit more manicured and regularly showered dark side, let me put your minds at ease by saying I won’t be trading in my beloved Slayer t-shirt anytime soon for something more befitting the likes of the Goth metal hordes, but as far as this subgenre of metal goes, these guys do a pretty bang-up job.